Various applications exist for systems for the aerial taking of photographs. For example, brochures used in commercial real estate sales promotions, typically, include an elevated photograph of the improvements in place on a particular parcel of land. This is particularly important in a case where the building is a shopping center. Aerial photography in this application has a particularly meaningful purpose. A prospective purchaser of the parcel of land would be enabled, by an aerial photograph in the brochure, to ascertain not only the configuration of the building, but also the relative size of the building with respect to surroundings.
Other applications for elevated photography also exist. It is often desirable and necessary to take aerial photographs of sporting events and/or athletes performing in those events. Such photographs can be appropriately used in evaluating performance of teams and individuals.
Aerial photography also has applications in the construction industry. This is particularly applicable in the case of reconstruction and/or repair of buildings. In a case where, for example, a tornado has passed through an area, damage might be occasioned upon roofs of structures. In some cases, personal inspection by a person or persons mounting the structure can be impossible. This might be because of inaccessibility of the location or because of structural damage making such an inspection unsafe. In this application also, the advantages of aerial photography become apparent.
A number of problems exist in the taking of aerial photographs. Most obvious is being able to elevate the camera. The photographer must be able to ensure that the camera is properly positioned at a desired elevational location. This requires the provision of a mechanism not only for getting the camera up, but also for precisely ascertaining the height at which it has been positioned.
A second problem incident to the taking of aerial photographs is insuring that the camera is pointed in the proper direction. Even if the camera is properly positioned at a desired situs, if it is not aimed at the desired subject, any efforts on behalf of the photographer are wasted.
An additional problem is controlling operation of the camera. This includes not only zooming in, in appropriate circumstances, but also effecting proper focus and accomplishing actuation of the shutter mechanism when desired.
Finally, it can be extremely important to have a feedback mechanism to insure that the camera has functioned properly. A photographer might well have successfully positioned the camera at the desired situs, accomplished proper training and tilting of the camera so that the desired subject would be in view, and thought he properly actuated the camera, only to find out later, after bringing the photographic equipment down thinking that the job was completed, that the camera had not functioned properly. As can be seen, therefore, a feedback mechanism can be particularly desirable.
It is to these dictates and problems of the prior art that the present invention is directed. It is a system for taking aerial, still photographs that, it is intended, solves problems of the prior art.